Trumps’ White House Christmas reception brings the merry and bright

Friday

Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Let me tell you that the White House appears to be doing exactly the same, if the holiday decorations I saw Thursday at a reception there were any indication.

The overall scheme of the decorations, overseen by first lady Melania Trump, were in the white mood, although there was a dash of sparkling gold that dazzled in the State Room.

White sparkling branches created a winter wonderland in the arrival hall. The setting reminded me of the snowflakes that we might see on tree boughs in a New England village.

Guests at the reception Thursday listened to a band play holiday music in the main hall of the White House. Photo courtesy Dorothy Draper & Co.

Leading to the main floor of the White House, green trees covered in faux snow and adorned with twinkling lights offered guests a welcome in a simple, classic and elegant way. There were no banks of red poinsettias, as I’ve seen at Christmases past in the White House. I found this holiday background, reflecting the theme "Time-Honored Traditions," so refreshing and charming.

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There were more than 50 trees, with the biggest of all in the Blue Room. Although white was dominant, the colors of the decorations tied in with the rooms in which the trees held court. The 19-foot Blue Room’s was laced in blue, silver and gold ribbons along with state-themed ornaments — and all reflecting the light of gold and white sparkling lights.

The invitation to the holiday reception Thursday at the White House directed guests to use the southeast entrance. Photo courtesy Dorothy Draper & Co.

Colorful decorations also graced the Red and Green rooms. And as most everyone knows, President Donald Trump has an affinity for gold in his décor, so it was no surprise that the decorations in the East Room and the State Dining Room embellished the White Christmas look with white and gold lights, and white and gold ornaments, with matching garlands over fireplaces and doors.

Holiday decorations in The Red Room were in keeping with the year-round decor. Photo courtesy Dorothy Draper & Co.

Attending any party at any holiday in the White House is always special, and the evening was as exciting as one might have hoped. Christmas music rang out from the brass band, whose musicians were clad in red and gold.

The president and his wife welcomed their guests, many dressed in Christmas finery ranging from brilliant red to sparkling blue. As the guests moved from space to space, the president and first lady greeted them in the ground-floor reception space where Zuber’s Scenic America murals cover the walls above the white wainscoting. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were also among those who attended the reception.

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Designed to replicate the architecture of The White House, the gingerbread house in the State Dining Room is said to weigh 300 pounds. Photo courtesy Dorothy Draper & Co.

Both the East Room and the State Dining Room were filled with gourmet delights. The tasty treats had an Americana feeling, from chaffing dishes filled with Southern grits sprinkled with Christmas-green parsley to elegant silver platters of smoked salmon and on to macaroni casserole, sliced tenderloin of beef, spinach-filled pastry cups to an array of mixed salads and fruits. The dessert table — make that tables — held gingerbread cookies and those red raspberry-filled Christmas candies, a delight to look at and enjoy. Those White House chefs can do anything the First Family might enjoy.

The president and the first lady seemed merry, extending to their guests the warmth and happiness that accompanies this season of joy.

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Palm Beacher Carleton Varney is president of Dorothy Draper & Co., an international design firm with offices in New York, West Palm Beach, London and White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. He also served as a design consultant to the White House during the Carter administration. Visit CarletonVarney.com or email him at cvarney@dorothydraper.com.